


looking in

by thunderylee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, side neville/ginny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-08
Updated: 2006-04-08
Packaged: 2019-02-08 01:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12853425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Ginny cut her hair short during the war.





	looking in

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck. embedded fanart by nefyr.

Ginny cut her hair short during the war, not that she had a choice in the matter. After a Death Eater in the last Diagon Alley raid miscasted a curse and singed a Galleon-sized patch into the left side of her head, she looked into the mirror and cried selfishly as she dreaded resembling a prematurely balding wizard for the rest of her life.

Wordlessly, Luna stood behind her, her concerned yet optimistic face visible over Ginny’s shoulder. She carefully ran her fingers along Ginny’s scalp, parting the flaming red locks on the right side as opposed to the natural center. The hair flowed nicely this way, although the patch of pink, scarred skin was still visible underneath the wave of extra hair unless it was combed directly over her face. Luna knew that this could never work, despite Ginny’s insistence that she could still see with her hair covering one eye.

“I think you’ll look striking with short hair,” Luna said simply, lifting her wand and appearing to wait for some sign of permission.

Ginny nodded reluctantly through tear-filled eyes, and a few whispered words caused over half of her length to disappear into thin air. The remaining hair hung limply at the bottom of her neck in a bowl-shaped style, and her reflection frowned back at her.

“Wait – I’m not done.” Luna’s voice was quiet as her face appeared over both of Ginny’s shoulders, examining her work. “How do you feel about bangs?”

“Bangs?” Ginny repeated thoughtfully. “I-I don’t know. How can I have bangs when I’m missing an entire section of my hairline?”

“You’ll see,” replied Luna vaguely. “That is, if you trust me.”

“Of course I trust you,” Ginny responded immediately.

Seeming to nod to herself rather than to Ginny, Luna waved her wand in a spiraling manner. Ginny watched as her hair began to take shape, short layers falling upon each other to frame her face and create volume. Luna left the top section just long enough so that it edged the arch of Ginny’s eyebrow when parted to the right, blending perfectly into the layers on the left side of her face.

Ginny gasped and actually smiled when Luna clapped her hands in delight. The damaged area was nowhere to be seen, even when Ginny shook her head vigorously to test. Her hair automatically fell back into place, outlining her face beautifully as her smile grew into a grin.

“Oh, thank you, Luna!” she exclaimed, hugging herself and trying to turn around so that she could see it from the back.

“Harry will love it,” said Luna decidedly.

Ginny stopped still and caught another frown forming in her reflection. “I don’t care what Harry thinks,” she said bitterly.

Luna simply nodded. “Well then, _I_ love it.”

Ginny felt her grin returning as she turned to face her friend. “Thank you so much,” she said again.

“And it will be easier to duel without your hair weighing you down,” Luna offered. “Maybe I should do mine too.”

“No!” Ginny cried, her hands flying to her mouth in horror. She eyed Luna’s long blonde mane and shook her head again, almost jumping out of her skin when she noticed the fringe of red out of the corner of her eye.

“That will probably take some getting used to,” said Luna, smiling. “All right, I won’t cut my hair. Maybe I can wear a wig.”

Ginny laughed, constantly amused by the random things that came out of her friend’s mouth. “I think that would be okay,” she agreed.

~*~*~*~

Living with another girl was an existence completely foreign to Ginny. Hermione may have spent a few weeks at the Burrow here and there, but she had always been traipsing off somewhere with Harry and Ron, and besides, there was more than enough testosterone to make her presence barely noticable.

After the war, Luna had approached Ginny about sharing a flat. They were both starting out in their respective career choices – Ginny as a healer-in-training at St. Mungo’s, and Luna as an intern reporter for her father’s magazine – and neither one could afford to live on her own. Ginny had accepted immediately, grateful for the opportunity to see her best friend every day as well as splitting the bills.

Luna was a wonderful roommate, albeit a bit forgetful. Ginny grew accustomed to finding keys in the pantry, shoes on the windowsill, and books in the shampoo caddy of the shower (although, in Luna’s defense, she _had_ been reading in the bathtub). Luna also preferred to have her laundry air-dry as opposed to using a drying spell, therefore decorating the balcony with rows of Muggle-like clotheslines which frequently possessed a variety of robes and – more often than not – undergarments. Ginny could single out their flat from the ground below by the bright colors and patterns that adorned Luna’s knickers.

Ginny had been dating Neville for a few months, and Luna insisted on playing hostess the first time he came over for dinner. The meal appeared to be thrown together with random ingredients, but it was delicious all the same. After almost four courses of unrelated, exotic dishes, Luna conveniently made herself scarce to give Ginny and Neville some time alone.

He had kissed her before, of course, along with much more. But as she snuggled up to him on the couch, she caught sight of them in the only mirror in the flat other than the bathroom. It was a small oval-shaped hanging bordered with brilliant gold swirls, positioned perfectly by the front door so that either tenant could give herself a quick once-over before heading out. The girl in the reflection frowned back at her, and when Neville pushed her bangs to the side in an attempt to regain her attention, she jumped to her feet.

“I’m sorry,” she said as sudden as the acquiescence flooding her brain. “This isn’t working out.”

Instead of looking hurt, Neville smiled. “I know.”

~*~*~*~

The roaring lion hat from Hogwarts was not the only headwear that Luna owned. In fact, she had so many hats that they required their own rack next to the coat closet. It was quite the conversation piece of visitors, especially Ginny’s mum, who declared that “Luna’s hair is so pretty, why would she possibly want to cover it up with a hat?”

Luna had been confused at those words, because in the entire course of her life she had never once worn a hat to hide her hair. No matter what was on top of her head, her blonde locks flowed freely underneath, cascading past her shoulders and almost hanging down to her waist. She claimed that hats were her way of being different, making her stand out to the many other witches and wizards who donned simple black robes as though it were a world-wide uniform of conformity.

Ginny’s favorite was the starving-artist beret which was appropriately crooked atop Luna’s head as she painted. Luna had acquired an artistic side after a casual visit to a Muggle art museum – along with a fascination for Muggle clothing and a taste for greasy hamburgers – and spent a majority of her free time swirling bright colors together on a canvas easel in the kitchen in order to ‘express herself’.

Sipping her tea thoughtfully, Ginny studied her roommate as the blonde appeared completely immersed in her work. On the rare occasion that both witches had a day off together, this was one of Ginny’s preferred activities. Luna never painted people, scenery, or even comprehensible objects; her pieces could not be explained to someone who didn’t think theoretically. Much like Luna herself, Ginny mused with a smile.

A quick glance out the open back door showed a new array of colorful Muggle clothing – long, flowing skirts and shimmered blouses – stirring in the light breeze along with the robes and knickers. Luna wore one of those outfits as she painted, her hair splashing over the pale skin of her sleeveless shoulders and her bare feet tucked under her in an egg-shaped chair.

Ginny’s attention returned to Luna’s hat, wondering how it would look on her. Most hats made Ginny feel fat – she had gained a bit of weight following the war, to which her short hair didn’t diminish – and she wouldn’t have worn one even if Luna had given her permission to borrow hers. She had grown to like her short hair, despite her mother’s assertion that she looked like a boy. Luna had respectfully disagreed on numerous occasions, insisting that the bangs and layers made Ginny appear more feminine than sweeping her hair up into a ponytail all the time.

Ginny was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t hear Luna speak her name. “I said ‘I’m finished’,” she repeated politely. “What do you think?”

Tilting her head to examine the abundance of warm colors as though the different perspective would make it clearer, Ginny nodded and smiled. “It’s beautiful,” she commented truthfully.

“It’s love,” Luna replied unequivocally, turning to beam proudly at her portrait. “And it’s for you.”

“For me?” Ginny echoed in surprise. “Why?”

Luna regarded her with a blank look. “Why not? I think you should put it in the bathroom.”

Ginny wordlessly followed as Luna carried the canvas down the hall and fixed it on the wall across from the toilet with a wave of her wand. “Perfect,” she muttered under her breath, her wide smile reflected by the mirror on the medicine cabinet as she turned towards Ginny. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” Ginny said quietly, looking more into the mirror than directly in front of her. She saw herself standing with Luna in close proximity – which was common for two grown women crammed into a flat-sized bathroom – and the painting in the background. Luna was looking at her expectantly, and Ginny remembered her manners. “Thank you,” she added earnestly.

“You’re welcome.” Luna’s gaze followed Ginny’s towards the mirror, and she cocked her head in thought. “It’s rather curious how you view the world this way, Ginerva. It’s almost as though you’d prefer to be on the outside looking in instead of experiencing it for real.”

“Sometimes I do,” Ginny admitted, though the declaration didn’t make her as sad as Luna’s words had sounded.

Luna nodded in understanding, and Ginny watched her roommate’s image move closer and closer to hers until she felt their lips brush together. In the mirror, Ginny’s eyes widened as Luna stood next to her and placed an arm around her waist, smiling at their reflection and giving Ginny a quick squeeze before saying “Think about it” and disappearing through the door.

~*~*~*~

Ginny has mirrors all over the house. Full-length mirrored doors and walls covered most the four-bedroom estate, leaving only enough bare paneling to hang Luna’s abstract art and framed photographs of their friends and families.

A portrait of Luna’s mother smiles warmly as Ginny examines herself more out of habit than in vain before she Apparates to work.

“You look lovely, dear,” Mrs. Lovegood says, resembling in every single way the woman Luna has become.

“Thank you,” Ginny replies politely, running a finger through her bangs in an effort to keep the ends out of her eye. She’s due for a trim and hopes Luna will have a spare moment this evening to do the honors.

As if on cue, Luna bounces happily down the hallway and stands behind Ginny, looking over her shoulder into the mirror the same way she did years ago.

“‘Morning, Mum,” she says, grinning. “‘Morning, Gin.”

Ginny feels thin arms wrap around her waist and lowers her eyes to see Luna’s hands clasp firmly together under her protruding stomach. As though she is reading Ginny’s mind, Luna rests her chin on Ginny’s shoulder and gazes dreamily into the mirror at their reflection, whispering “You’re not fat until I can’t do this anymore.”

Laughing nervously, Ginny lowers her own hands over her belly and entwines her fingers with Luna’s. “That will be soon, I imagine,” she says softly. “I hope so, anyway. A big belly means a healthy baby, right?”

“Right,” agrees Luna, leaning forward to press a kiss to Ginny’s cheek and catching a mouthful of hair. “Oh!” she exclaims, giggling as she withdraws a hand from Ginny’s grasp to pull a lone strand of red hair from her lips. “We’ll have to cut your hair tonight. It’s getting rather long… unless you don’t want to keep it short anymore?”

Ginny automatically feels the spot under her bangs, which has completely healed and grown back due to Luna’s extensive research with Neville last year.

“Have you talked to Neville lately?” Luna asks, making Ginny’s eyes enlarge at the thought that perhaps Luna really could read her mind. “What?” she adds anxiously, presumably noticing Ginny’s reaction. “Did you two have a row?”

“No,” says Ginny quickly. “I was just thinking about him, how you two discovered the plant that restored my hair, and it’s odd that you happened to mention his name just now.”

Luna smiled. “It’s not _that_ odd, considering you’re carrying his baby.”

“He has a big heart,” Ginny reflects out loud, remembering Neville’s face when she and Luna first asked him to be a surrogate father. “And it’s _our_ baby.”

Raising her hands to affectionately rub the swell of Ginny’s belly, Luna grins proudly and meets Ginny’s eyes through the mirror. “Yes, it is.”


End file.
